The Best Children’s & YA Books of February
by the Brightly Editors
Love is in the air, and we’re feeling ALL the warm and fuzzy feels about the new books coming out this month. From heartfelt picture books to fantasy adventures and the hottest new YA novels, here are the best books to fall in love with this February.
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Picture Books
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The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn
Available from:Fans of fairy tales and books like I Am (Not) Small by Anna Kang will love this charming twist on a familiar theme. A little unicorn feels teeny-weeny compared to his family. Everything from the rugs to the food is too big for the teeny-weeny unicorn. But when he meets an even smaller gnome, he learns that size is relative. This sweet story will win over every reader’s heart.
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I Am NOT the Easter Bunny!
Available from:Get ready to giggle your way through this rib-tickling book about a white rabbit who insists he is NOT the Easter Bunny. Little readers will recognize evidence (like a bow tie and a basket of eggs) suggesting this grumpy rabbit is the Easter Bunny, no matter what he says. It’s the perfect basket stuffer for your little one this Easter!
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Brushy Brush! (Sesame Street)
Available from:Brushing a baby’s or toddler’s teeth is not a chore for the faint of heart. Thankfully, Elmo and his Sesame Street friends are here to help with the popular Sesame Street Brushy Brush song. Little readers will learn how to care for their chompers through the lyrics and vibrant pictures featuring their favorite characters.
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Lola and the Troll
Available from:Readers of all ages will love this sweet story about a girl who bravely deals with a bully. A neighborhood boy pesters Lola and says mean things to her. She becomes self-conscious and tries to alter herself to avoid further teasing. With the help of a wise friend, Lola discovers she doesn’t need to change herself to please a bully.
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Lucky Duck
Available from:Susan is a duck with terrible luck. Thankfully, whenever something unlucky happens, Wolf knocks on her door and gives her an extra lucky gift. First, it’s a large pot, then vegetables and other ingredients to make soup — duck soup. Readers of all ages will love the visual humor in this story and chuckle in delight when Susan has her biggest stroke of luck yet.
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Bluey: A Jigsaw Puzzle Book
Available from:Little kids love puzzles, especially if they feature their favorite television characters. This book contains four double-sided puzzles that reveal a picture of Bluey and his family and friends. It’s perfect for a few minutes of quiet while your little one pieces together a puzzle or two.
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Ride Beside Me
Available from:A parent and child head outside on a bike ride in this charming ode to cycling. As they ride, other cyclists join them until the road fills with human-powered wheels. Readers will enjoy the joyous, breezy vibes and feel inspired to dust off their bikes and enjoy the outdoors.
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The Crayons Love Our Planet
Available from:Celebrate Earth Day with the Crayons in their newest book. Each color shares why they’re essential to the Earth and how they make the world beautiful. From blue skies to beige wheat fields, every color feels special in this humorous story.
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Sleepy Sheepy and the Sheepover
Available from:Sleepy Sheepy has his first sheepover at Grammy and Grampy’s house in this rib-tickling picture book. At bedtime, nothing feels right, and Sleepy Sheepy can’t close his eyes long enough to drift into dreamland. This adorable read-aloud is the perfect bedtime book to prep a child feeling nervous about their first night away from their parents.
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The World Is Ours to Cherish: A Letter to a Child
Available from:Learning about climate change can feel scary for young children. This beautiful and heartfelt picture book offers young readers a hopeful outlook for the future. Written in letter format, it provides children a positive way forward: working together and caring for the planet. It’s a must-read for Earth Day.
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Chapter Books & Middle Grade
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The Adventures of Invisible Boy
Available from:Fans of Hilo and The Last Kids on Earth series will love this humorous, cartoon-style graphic novel. Like most superheroes, Stanley gains invisibility through an errant wish and a run-in with a science fair mishap. At first, Stanley loves his invisibility but quickly realizes that someone else at school also turned invisible, and they want to hurt all the kids. He must risk everything to stop this person’s sinister plans.
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Dangerous Allies (The Forgotten Five, Book 4)
Available from:The fourth installment in The Forgotten Five series hit bookstore shelves this month! Kids who enjoy action-packed fantasy novels with plenty of books in the series will want to dive into this one. It’s about a group of supernatural children who grew up in isolation and must re-enter a society that treats them like criminals. Political corruption, kidnappings, friendship, and betrayal make this series exciting!
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Daughters of the Lamp
Available from:Arabian folklore, magic, mystery, and adventure combine in this fast-paced fantasy novel for Percy Jackson and Aladdin fans. At a relative’s wedding in Egypt, Sahara Rashad gets pulled into a quest to claim her birthright as the protector of Ali Baba’s long-lost treasure.
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Bumps in the Night
Available from:Middle Grade readers who crave a helping of thrills and chills can get it in this spooky new novel from USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard (Queen Bee). Rika travels to Trinidad to spend the summer with her grandmother. She gets involved in a hair-raising mystery about her long-lost mother, monsters, kids with magical powers, and a labyrinth.
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Who Has Her Own Work of Art?: Frida Kahlo
Available from:Art enthusiasts will love getting to know iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in this full-color, nonfiction graphic novel. Readers will learn about the artist’s life, inspiration, and how she rose to fame and became one of the most recognizable artists in the world. Vibrant art and informative text make this an excellent introduction to Frida and her work.
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Momo Arashima Breaks the Mirror of the Sun
Available from:Young readers will eagerly dive back into this world of Shinto mythology, monsters, and magical powers. The second book in the Momo Arashima series brings a new villain and challenges. Momo must team up with her friends again, travel to the Sky Kingdom, and pull off an impossible heist to save the world from utter destruction.
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YA
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The Invocations
Available from:Witches, demons, and a supernatural killer combine in this spine-tingling horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of House of Hollow. Zara and Jude both need the services of a witch and turn to Emer Byrne in desperation. But when Emer’s clients start dying one by one, the three girls team up to find the killer before they become the next victims.
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These Deadly Prophecies
Available from:Sorcery, murder, and mystery — this book has everything to keep you glued to the page until the wee hours of the night. When her fortunetelling boss gets murdered, Tabatha and his son Callum become the prime suspects. The teens form a shaky alliance and set out to find the real killer and clear their names.
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Bright Red Fruit
Available from:If you love novels in verse, don’t miss this latest offering from the award-winning author of Home Is Not A Country. With her reputation in tatters and vicious rumors swirling, Samira turns to the world of slam poetry for comfort. But when she attracts the attention of a much older guy, she finds herself in an even more precarious situation.
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Black Girl You Are Atlas
Available from:This artsy celebration of Black girlhood is a must-read for YA readers everywhere. Renée Watson’s poems describe her childhood experiences, the mentors who made a difference to her, and her hope for Black girls to embrace their unique power. Her moving poems pair perfectly with Ekua Holmes’s gorgeous, vibrant artwork.
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Snowglobe
Available from:If you’re craving a new spin on YA dystopian thrillers, don’t miss this exciting novel from Korean author Soyoung Park. Snowglobe is the last warm city on Earth and broadcasts its television shows 24/7 to everyone outside. When the star actor dies, Chobahm takes her place on the show and inside the warm dome of Snowglobe. At first, she is thrilled but soon realizes that dark secrets and corruption lie beneath the sunny surface and glitzy television shows.
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